Kill Me, My Love

Chapter 20

She suddenly opened her eyes wide. Her heart raced as if possessed. The pillow somehow ended up on the floor, and the sheet was tangled around her feet. It was an extremely strange dream. And after it, there was a feeling as if something unusual had happened. Although, in principle, it should not be surprising. There was nothing normal in her life.

Her throat was dry, and she wanted to drink. The girl got up from the bed, walked to the door, and knocked. But no one replied. She called out:

- Hello! I want to drink!

In response – silence. She repeated her attempt, but it was unsuccessful. So Lina returned to bed, waiting for who knows what.

Minutes stretched like rubber. Her stomach was empty, and she no longer wanted to sleep. Thoughts of Sam troubled her too much, so the girl focused on her childhood memories.

Once, she had a friend. Not for long, but still...

Sister Yaryna was very young: the youngest of all the members of the order. She taught Lina how to write and read, told her a little about geography, history, and biology. If it weren't for her, the girl would now be unrefined and uneducated. Some clumsy wolf cub in a world of lions.

In appearance, Yaryna reSambled the daughter of the high priest. Her hair was light and soft, lips pink, and her eyes were blue. A delicate, slender girl, very kind and sweet. She grew up in the estate and almost did not know any other life. The key word is "almost".

Every three months, she went to the city, performing various errands for the abbess. She bought food, fabric, and all sorts of household supplies. Usually, she was sent on this errand with another man, Brother Ksen.

One time they both went and never returned. Rumors spread through the estate that they had renounced their faith, tempted by fleshly delights. But Lina knew what had happened. After all, Yaryna had had time to say goodbye to the girl.

In that last lesson, she barely held back tears and often hugged her close. And when the moment of parting came, she said:

- My girl, don’t believe them. Always do what your heart tells you. Know that you are not a monster. You are a sweet, good child who does not deserve such a life at all. I must say goodbye to you because I have found my love. Don’t be mad at me for this. But it will be better for all of us.

She hugged Lina once more and left the room, never to return alive.

A few years later, something began happening in the order. Everyone walked tense, anxious, with gloomy faces, as if the end of the world would happen tomorrow. As it turned out, the abbess couldn’t just let everything go like that.

She hired various bad people to search for the fugitives. Eventually, they found and returned them to the order. But not alive; they were dead. It seemed that their six-month-old child was with them as well. But Lina didn't know for sure if this was true. She couldn’t believe what she hadn’t seen with her own eyes.

On the day of the funeral, she was locked in a small windowless room. Therefore, the girl could only make assumptions about what happened to her one true friend in the whole world.

To say that after this she hated the order with all her heart is to say nothing. The thought that Yaryna was alright, that she was living in a vast world without foolish rules and restrictions, comforted her. But on that day, illusions were scattered forever. She realized that people were cruel monsters. Soulless, filthy barbarians. And how could one not wish for their downfall after this?

It was all so heavy. In the girl's heart, two ideas struggled. One, that humanity deserves to be destroyed, that it is not worth life on this beautiful planet. And the other, on the contrary, recoiled from such thoughts. She didn’t want to reSamble the abbess and become a killer. After all, she had seen with her own eyes sincere and kind people. Like Yaryna and Zina. And they are not the only ones in this world; she knew that for sure.

Suddenly a code beeped, and the door opened. A doctor entered the chamber, holding some medical devices and a glass of water.

- Today, the high priest wants to show you something special. But first I need to make sure you are feeling well.

He handed the girl the glass and sat down next to her on the bed.

- Recently, I called the guards, but no one responded, - she said, savoring the cool water.

- We had a meeting. Look, now I will measure your pulse, pressure, and temperature. I will listen to your heart and lungs. It won’t hurt.

Lina became anxious; she had never undergone medical procedures before; the situation in the hospital was an exception. Besides, she hadn’t been coherent then, so she didn’t remember anything.

- It definitely won’t hurt?

- Definitely, - the man smiled.

- Alright, - the girl sighed heavily. - Go ahead.

And the doctor indeed started. He did everything slowly and very carefully, so as not to scare her, while explaining what and why he was doing.

- This is a thermometer; I will now hold it to your forehead and keep it there for a few seconds. It will show your body temperature.

After a few moments, the device indeed beeped, announcing the result.

- Thirty-six point six, just like a soldier.

Next came the turn of the sphygmomanometer, which unpleasantly squeezed her arm. Then the man applied a small cold metal device to her chest and back, making the girl breathe deeply.

When everything was finally finished, the doctor packed his tools into his bag and told Lina to follow him.

Upon exiting into the corridor, the girl saw that no one was around. She felt in her heart that something unusual was happening, and soon she would learn something very, very important.